I guess it’s not surprising that teens are doing this, what is surprising is that a group of kids are being charged with child pornography for doing so. The lesson for parents being, talk to your kids about the numerous unexpected consequences that can occur when this kind of stuff hits the internet.

We all have been young and dumb. We’ve trusted friends we shouldn’t have trusted. We’ve gotten caught up in the moment and done things we regretted later. We did stupid stuff. We were embarrassed. And then everyone forgot about it in a few weeks.

But with digital cameras and near constant access to the internet, today’s pre-adulthood peccadilloes have the power to stay with us for a really long time. Once something gets posted to the internet, it’s out there for anyone to rediscover at anytime. While teens should always be concerned about their reputations, their online reputations especially need to be well maintained. Here are some tips for parents to pass on to their teens:

1. Don’t use your real name. Once you get older and start looking for a job, recruiters are going to Google your name. Keep it as pristine as possible by conducting your online socializing through a nickname. (You don’t want that embarrassing IM conversation your ex-boyfriend recorded and then published on his blog to pop up when you’re applying for a job.)

2. Keep your profiles private. This will make it difficult for prospective employers to find them. (More importantly it will keep prospective child molesters from finding you.)

3. Don’t give out your personal information, ever. When setting up profiles or blogging, don’t mention the school you go to, where you live or where you work.

4. Don’t send naked pictures or video tapes of yourself to anyone. Celebrities from Paris Hilton to Vanessa Hudgens to Kim Kardashian know all about how dangerous this is. Learn from them.

5. Google yourself regularly. If there is particularly malicious information out there about you there are ways to get it taken down. This can be time-consuming, however. Your best bet is to not let it go up to begin with.